School Start Times & Grade Weighting Resources

Tackling Student Stress

During the 2016-17 school year, the District convened a committee to unpack the factors associated with academic pressure and student stress. Student interviews and parent focus groups were used to collect feedback regarding what was causing student stress and ways to possibly address these concerns.

The committee found that a variety of in- and out-of-school factors caused students stress. The root causes of these factors were identified and recommendations emerged. The District is now moving down two parallel paths:

Provide mindfulness/stress management training for students and staff members.

Examine systemic factors that are currently contributing to student stress.

The first path centers on teaching strategies to staff members and students around the concept of mindfulness. These practices focus on developing attention skills, resiliency, and social emotional outcomes and ultimately stress reduction. The District recognizes the stress students feel and thus has a renewed focus on creating positive, happy, and healthy learning environments and experiences for everyone. These strategies will be implemented in classrooms beginning in early 2018.

Four Major Systemic Factors

The second path is identifying systemic factors that play a role, such as grade weighting, school start times, homework, and testing, and making specific recommendations regarding potential changes. The District first plans to tackle school start times and grade weighting by gathering feedback from the NA community and make potential recommendations in December 2017 for a vote in January 2018. Click here to view the timeline of action.

Grade Weighting

There is a myth that students need to take as many weighted courses as possible to get into college. In reality, colleges and universities remove the grade weights when students apply.

Currently, Honors and AP level courses are weighted, which boosts a student’s GPA. In an effort to enhance their GPA, many students focus only on courses that are weighted, which encourages grade and course acceleration. As a result, students do not select courses that may suit their future needs more appropriately.

Possible Recommendations Regarding Grade Weighting May Include

Concepts

Eliminate weighted grades completely

Cap the number of courses a student can receive weighted grades for each year

Weight AP and Honors courses the same

Timing

Implement for all students beginning in the 2018-19 school year

Implement for 9th and 10th graders in the 2018-19 school year and phase in over three years

Implement for incoming 9th graders in 2018-19 and phase in over four years

School Start Times

NASD school start times are currently:

High school – 7:25 a.m.

Middle school – 8:10 a.m.

Elementary school – 9:00 a.m.

The following organizations recommend an 8:30 a.m. start time for adolescents: